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Service Model ACE

7K views 49 replies 14 participants last post by  saintclair 
#1 ·
Pictures of a recently acquired Service Model Ace. The serial number (2553) is
under the FP retainer with 25 above and 53 below the FP opening.
Does anyone know how many were blued vs. Parkerized?
I am sure JohnnyP will know!







 
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#13 ·
Congratulations on the new pistol. Only about 12,500 total made (even though the serial numbers go higher than that). All but about 500 were procured by the military. There are a few W.B. inspected in the SM35xx range that are also marked UNITED STATES PROPERTY. They were made up using M1911A1 receivers due to Colt's not having enough in stock to meet military demands. But as Johnny has already stated, those guns were NOT numbered in the M1911A1 range.

All the SM Ace pistols are tough to get in nice, original condition...but the blued ones are, by far, among the most beautiful pistols Colt ever made.
 
#15 · (Edited)
JohnnyP and Scott: When I removed the FP block to check the SN, I saw that the FP is different from a 45 FP in that it will
only go into the slide one way due to a spring-loaded steel ball mounted at the back bottom of the FP. There is also a cutout
in the slide where this spring-loaded ball inserts. Also, the side of the FP block that contacts the slide has a track in it on the
upper portion that allows it to move past the rear of the FP with greater ease.
If either of these features are unusual to you, I can photograph them. Thanks for your great input.
 
#17 ·
Rick, I have seen quite a few Pre-war ACES over the years. In fact I own a very nice one. During the same
period of time, I have only seen a few Service Model ACES. I suspect many of the Service Models were
destroyed or severely abused during their service.
 
#22 · (Edited)
Some ACE firing pins and stops. Left,---early S.M. Ace (and Conversion Unit); center,---later S.M. Ace (and CU); right,---1931-1941 and 1947 ACE (without the button that fits on the end and mates with the stop).

The early S.M.Ace and Ace are directional, because the ends that contact the cartridge are directional. The holes in the breach face of the slides (S.M.) appear the same (early and later).

Best Regards,
 

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#24 ·
Stan, I am not sure about the ball/plunger being spring loaded. I will check that again. You seem
to be very knowledgable on this configuration. I thought I simply had a SMA that some hobbyist
or local gunsmith had modified.
Thank you very much for your input. I am always amazed at the level of expertise one
can find on the Colt Forum!!
 
#32 ·
Stan, Thanks for reminding me about magazines. I received three with my SMA. The one pictured on the right
in all four pictures came in my gun. The other two appear to be the earlier model mags that were in Pre-war ACES,
but they do not have the Colt markings on the base like the one I have in my pre-war ACE (not pictured).
Can you comment on those two magazines?







 
#33 ·
Stan, Thanks for reminding me about magazines. I received three with my SMA. The one pictured on the right
in all four pictures came in my gun. The other two appear to be the earlier model mags that were in Pre-war ACES,
but they do not have the Colt markings on the base like the one I have in my pre-war ACE (not pictured).
Can you comment on those two magazines?







saintclair,

The magazine on the right is correct for your pistol.

The two to the left, appear to be similar to the 1931-1941 and 1947 Ace magazines. (But, most likely, not made by Colt.?) I am not sure where they are from. It looks like they may be from Argentina. Ballester-Molina made copies (fixed and adj. sight) of the SMA. These mags may be from those pistols.? There are some of those Ballester-Molina SMA copies in the neighborhood,---will check to see if I can find one.

Best Regards,
 
#34 ·
Stan, Great observation about the Argentina guns. I have seen a few of those, but I had forgotten
about them. The serial number on the middle magazine is what I would expect to find on
such an Argentina gun. They certainly are not of the same quality as the ones that Colt made, but
they do appear to operate correctly.
 
#35 ·
There was a member from NC who purchased a pre-war ACE at a gunshop
in Colonial Height, VA about a year ago. The gun had been stripped for refinishing
and the previous owner had evidently lost the insides of the Pre-war ACE magazine.
I believe the parts in these two Argentine magazines would fit into the magazine shell
he has. If that person reads this post, he should contact me about that.
 
#36 ·
I've a SM Ace very similar to Scott's. Mines in the 800 serial range and there has always been one thing that puzzles me. On the inside lid of the box the Steven's sight instructions are on a label. I did buy an original hang tag a few years ago and I was wondering if they omitted the hang tag in 1939 and utilized the label exclusively. I also have an original target, however; I'm missing the rest of the paperwork and assembly tool. For what it's worth, both of my magazines are identical to the one identified in the previous post. This is really an informative posting.
Thanks
Steve
 
#38 ·
The correct for your Service Model Ace would be a full blued body with the steel base and same markings as on the magazine you show. By the time your SMA was manufactured Colt had discontinued the cyanide tempering process which resulted in the two tone appearance, and had changed to a new tempering process which left the magazine full blue.



 
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